Not the One
by Lotrin
Summary: I hope this story will explain you a lot about Cypher and the choice he made at the end. Chapter III uploaded!
1. Susie

"Well, I'm sure I don't want to see YOU anymore", - she cried and shut the door after her. Reagan sat down on the chair and took a sip of the Jin&tonic he left on the table. He became addicted to alcohol since these quarrels began. He thought Susie had problems, maybe she had an affair... Who knows..? Every day for already a week she's been nervous. Her talkativeness vanished in thin air. Her cheerful eyes were filled with fear. "Why is life so complicating"? - he sighed and put the glass in the sink. It had already turned dark and the block he was living it was not much illuminated, but Reagan always liked the darkness. He turned on the lamp next to his computer and decided to play some action game on the internet. Killing people, even if they were just a bunch of pixels somehow relaxed him. "Let's see what I have left"... - he said, searching his directories for some game-files... Suddenly his eyes fell on an unknown directory. "The Matrix"... Not that he ever created it. Susie? All she knows about computers is the "on" button... But Reagan was too exhausted to think it all over and saw that the directory contained some text files and one ".exe" file... He opened the manual. "action game" "lots of blood" "net server" were the words he was looking for. And he found them. After his connection he found only one player logged on. His nickname was "Morpheus". "Well, let's see if you'll beat *Cypher the bloody*", - grinned Reagan and entered the name. "NOT MORE THAN 8 SYMBOLS IN THE LOGIN NAME ARE ALLOWED" - the disclaimer said. "Oh, well"... he said and typed *Cypher*. After ten rounds the score was 9/1 and Morpheus was the lead. *I'm not in the mood today*... typed Cypher. *Do you want to know why*? answered Morpheus. *As I understand that's not your business* typed Reagan. He was never very nice to anyone who touched his private life. "You are afraid. And I want to show you why", - a voice form his speakers said. Reagan was speechless... Of course! It must be the god damned hackers! He wasn't much aware of computers, but he knew some details about hacking, as his friends were rather aware of it. He quickly logged off and shut down the computer. Suddenly the telephone rang. "Must be Susie. She has come to herself. As she always does", - he chuckled and answered the phone. "Sure darling, you can come right over. I'm not mad", - he said without even asking who it was, as quite a few people knew his number. "Hello, Cypher", - a manly voice answered. - "I didn't mean to disappoint you, but you're the one who must come over". "Who the hell are you"? - asked Reagan with annoyance in his voice. "I'm the one who had beaten you", - a brief answer followed. "So you're the guy who broke into my computer? Well, you're in for a lot of trouble! But you're pretty smart. Let's see how smart you'll be in jail", - Reagan said a bit nervously. "There is one short name to describe me. I am Morpheus. And it s you who is in for trouble", - the voice said. "To tell the truth, I don't get the point of our conversation. What do you want?" - he answered. "I want you to come around and to know your true self. I want to show you what you were born for", - said Morpheus. "Is it a show with a hidden camera or you're from a plastic surgery"? - answered Reagan, willing to throw the telephone out of the window. "You are unaware of what is happening. You spent your life not knowing about me, but I have been looking for YOU all my life"... - Morpheus said. "Man, I need some sleep..." - sighed Reagan and hung up. After that his cell phone rang. "Reagan's hot line", - he answered with annoyed voice. "Hi, Reagan..." - said Susie. "Oh, hi, dear! Sorry, I was busy talking to some jerk... Where are you"? - Reagan was more than happy to hear her voice. "Oh, I'm at the telephone booth at Childeron's road, next to the bridge"... - she said. Quite far away... Would she be able to walk that fast? Nah, she probably took a taxi and when she came to herself she ran out of money. "Ok, honey. I'll be right over", - he said, walking out of his house and jumping on his motorcycle. He was there in 20 minutes, but didn't find Susie anywhere. "Oh, she could have walked under the bridge"! - he exclaimed. It was raining and that thought was more than logic. He drove there and saw his beloved Susanna Young, standing next to a black Toyota. But unfortunately, Reagan didn't notice the car and went straight to his girlfriend. He wanted to embrace her, but she stepped away from his arms. "Reagan... I thought a lot about us... And I think it is time for us to part"... - she said in a very low voice. Reagan didn't see it, but for two times her glance fell on the car next to them. "I must go now", - she sighed and turned around. He stood there speechless. The girl that fell in love with him at first sight... The girl whose hero he was for 2 years... The girl whom he had allowed to open his cold heart... Had just left him. He didn't understand a thing. Suddenly the door of the car opened and a woman wearing black leather appeared. "Life's cruel, isn't it?" - she smirked. "Want to hang out tonight"? - she asked. "Yeah, sure"... - he answered. "Then get in", - she smiled charmingly at him. "F*ck! Do I really care"? - he thought and got in. There were two people in the car besides them. The car was driven by a severe-looking man, probably a Spaniard. ext to him sat a blond with slightly a manly face, wearing white clothes. Trinity whispered to Switch: "Susanna has done us a great favor. Make sure she won't remember anything". 


	2. So I'm here to save the world?

Cypher woke up in a small chamber, illuminated, as he thought, with thousands of lights. He could hardly see anything - he only recognized the shapes of people, looking at him. "I don't want to die"... - he tried to say, but his lips and his tongue wouldn't obey him. He lifted his arm and felt a wave of pain rushing through his body. Then, for the first time he recognized a man figure that was standing next to him. He put his hand on his forehead. Then there was nothing.   
"It will take him long to recover", - sighed Tank. - "He wasn't ready, Morph"... "Yes, I know"... - answered Morpheus, hiding his eyes. For the first time in his life he wasn't 100% sure that the person brought to the real world would survive. But if Cypher was what he was looking for all these years... The One... No, he wouldn't die. It was just that the captain of the Nebuchadanezzer couldn't stand waiting any longer. Mr. Reagan was never interested in computers and the only thing he knew about the Matrix was that his friends were eager to find out what it was. Morpheus tried to make him interested in computers, he made him meet the right people, go to right places... Effortless. But those failures only made him more sure that Cypher was the one he was looking for. Morpheus woke up from his remembrances and threw his head back slightly. "We've done it... We found him", - he said silently to himself, walking away. "Hope you're right, Morph. Hope you're right"... - said Dozer, helping his brother rebuild Cypher's atrophied muscles.  
Cypher woke up in a small room and his first thought was that it was his coffin... The eyes didn't hurt anymore and he could move. He stood up from his bed, examining the room. He saw empty metallic walls. He looked at the shabby clothes he wore. It all looked as it was a factory of some sort... Or maybe it was prison. Though his eyes could see again, his mind was cloudier than ever. He remembered something about a rich building, a chic dressed in leather, leading him to her flat, a man that offered him two pills... And now he was here. "Of course! Now I get it! The pill must have been a type of drug! What else could it be anyway? Without saying any words, the guy insisted on me taking the red one. That's what drug dealers are these days. Fuck! I must have had a VERY good time last night if I ended up in... here"... Pain struck his hand. Cypher discovered a wire plugged into him. "Probably they've made a drug-test"... - he thought, pulling it out. Suddenly the door opened and a guy came in. "Hi! You must be my fellow cell-mate"! - said Cypher with a touch of indifference. "God damn! You don't even know where you are, do you"? - asked the guy. - "My name is Aries. I'll be your operator. Morpheus will come in a bit of time. And I sure hope he'll explain to you why he did it"... "M-O-R-P-H-E-U-S"? - Cypher jumped from his bed. This name again! What did he possibly want from him? And where the hell was he anyway? For the first time the thought of being kidnapped came to Cypher. But why? He wasn't in relationship with the town's mafia, he paid his taxes, he didn't do anything illegal... Almost... During his thoughts Morpheus came in. Cypher seemed to recognize him... It was the man that offered him drugs. Only he was not so well dressed. "I see you are confused, my friend. We are here to enlighten you" - he said. "Please do", - answered Cypher. Damn! He would give anything to find out where he was. They entered a room filled with computers, wires, screens and people fiddling with all that junk. "I've been silent for too long"... - Morpheus began. - "I understood you weren't ready to know the truth about the world"... He was confused and didn't really know from where to start, what seldom happened to him. "What truth"? - asked Cypher. "That you are a slave, Cypher", - answered Morpheus. "You've been born in chains"... Switch, who was standing not far from them, fixing some machine, rolled her eyes. For how many times did she hear this monologue?.. Morpheuse's words didn't change from the time she entered Nebuchadanezzer. "Well, it's the best way to explain the unexplainable", - she shrugged and continued her work.   
All the things Morpheus said were like a Chinese language to Cypher. He only understood the thing that the world was in danger and that he somehow was the One... "So I'm here to save the world"? - he chuckled. He still thought it was all a low-budget TV show and waited for the director to cry "Cut"!.. But nobody said anything. Morpheus saw that he still believed this was all a dream and decided to take the ace out of his pocket: "Unfortunately nobody can be told what the Matrix is. You have to..." "See it for yourself"... - sighed Tank and prepared to load the sparring program...  
*2 hours later*  
Cypher sat on his bed, nervously pinching his hand. "Come on... Let this all be a nightmare... I want to wake up... I want to see Susie... I... want... to... live"... For the first time in many years Cypher started crying. He liked to seem strong from the time he was 7, to be an example to his little brother. It eventually grew into a habit and Mr. Reagan was never seen crying. Now there was no Reagan. There was Cypher. The One...  
  
On to chapter 3. 


	3. The jump

Suddenly the door gave a squeaky noise and Aries walked in silently. He looked at Cypher's face, all wet from tears. "I simply don't get it, why he did it, Cypher", - he sighed. "Hey, don't call me that! I'm Reagan", - Cypher answered nervously. "Well, I WAS Todd, does it really matter"? - said Aries. He sat next to him and asked: "So what do you know, besides that you're the One"? "Well, I know that everything I believed in is actually a computer program, that I wasted time learning physical rules at school, that the world is ruled by machines, that we must save it, but there are agents who don't want it. A long story short: I'm here to save the world", - Cypher shot out. "Well, I'm sure it'll be tons of fun", - smiled Aries. For the first time this day, Cypher felt comfortable. "How did you end up in here, Aries"? - he asked. "Well, I was sort of searching for the Matrix until one day it came to me itself. It was wearing sexy leather clothes", - Aries chuckled. "Hm... Are you speaking about that girl... Trinity"? - said Cypher. Trin was the only thing he got interested so far. "Yep, she was the one that brought me to Morph", - Aries made a slight pause, smiled and continued. - "I... I had a crush on her for about 2 years, until she told me her prophecy". "What prophesy"? - asked Cypher. "Everyone who comes to the real world visits the Oracle, that will tell him his destiny. Mine was something like: "You will be the one to reveal the truth". Cool huh? And Trin's was... No, I can't tell you that". Cypher got pretty much excited: "Why not"? Aries chuckled and got up: "I bet you'll know someday. C'mon there's stuff we have to do".  
For about three hours Cypher's brain was 'filled' with necessary programs, trainings, information and the whole bunch of other stuff Aries loaded. It was the rest hour and they were the only people awake. After a while Aries saw Morpheus come in. "I thought you were supposed to watch over the ship", - he said. "Well, I decided to give it a slight break and give our newcomer a pair of useful lessons", - said Aries. "Hm... Let me see what you uploaded so far", - murmured Morph, looking through the disks. "I see you have decided to leave the combat training for desert", - he sighed. It was his favorite program and he loved challenging newbies. "Ok, then load the jump program", - he said and went over to one of the armchairs. "Okey-dokey", - said Aries with a smile. As soon as Morph was plugged in, Aries yelled: "Guys! You don't wanna miss THAT"! Everybody knew Cypher had to go through the test sooner or later. It seemed it was a bit too soon this time. "He'll make it' he'll make it", - cried Mouse in excitement. "Why are you so sure"? - asked Dozer. "After wall he is kinda special", - answered Mouse. "I bet you he doesn't", - said Tank. He had seen too many falls to believe there was one to make it the first time. "Ok, I'll bet you a liter of your moonshine"! - said Mouse. "Aren't you a bit little to drink it"? - asked Switch, who was always something like a mother to Mouse. "Hey, don't disturb the men talking", - chuckled Apok. "And if you loose you'll wash the dishes for everyone for 2 months", - said Tank. He had as good as won. "Ok"... - answered Mouse and leaned over one of the monitors.   
Meanwhile, Morpheus had finished explaining the rules of the program they were in and had already made his jump. "Hm. I can think of two things right now. Either he is totally snapped to let his beloved "the One" jump from roof to roof like a squirrel, or he found out that I'm just a plain Mr. Reagan from Walter Scott street and don't have anything to do with all this nonsense", - thought Cypher.   
"What takes him so long"? - asked Mouse nervously. "Oh, be patient, Mousy", - said Trinity even more nervously. "Hey, don't call me that"! - said Mouse.   
Meanwhile in the program, Cypher still thought about the jump. "It's suicide! Suicide... Maybe it is"... For once all his beliefs were broken and he felt like being all alone in the universe. Suicide... Just what he needed. Suicide... The answer to all his unsolvable problems. Suicide... The jump. He took his run and jumped. He was flying over the street, seeing nothing in front of his eyes.   
"Yes, YES"!!! - yelled Mouse and jumped around the room as Cypher nearly reached the other roof. "Unbelievable", - thought Morpheus.  
Suddenly Cypher's eyesight returned. "That's probably how suicides feel". As soon as he thought about that, he began falling, just about a half of meter away from the other roof.  
"Damn! DAMN"! - cried Mouse. "Don't worry. It was still amazing", - said Tank, gazing at the monitor. Everyone was speechless. Although Cypher didn't make it, he was so close to it. Closer than anybody was before. As soon as he was unplugged everybody began cheering him up. "You've done great"! "Dozer owes me a half-liter of moonshine"! "Morph was right about you". Cypher didn't answer and just sat in the armchair, staring at the roof. "Morph, is he OK"? - asked Mouse, running over to Morph, who was quite forgotten. "He's OK. More than that. He just needs to be left alone for a while", - he said, patting Mouse on the head. "Alone", - he repeated, making sure everybody heard him. The crew looked at him with understanding and left the main room. Cypher was now left to his thoughts. He didn't feel himself, but he knew he was alive, because his smart, witty brain that got him out of various situations was still working. He wished it didn't. He wished he was dead. He felt his nose bleeding slightly. He wiped the blood with his hand and stood up. Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching the room. It was her...  
  
  
On to chapter 4. 


	4. Trinity

Trinity sat on her cold metallic bed thinking of what happened today. The prophecy she has been told followed her like a ghost. The only two people on the ship who knew about it were Morpheus and Aries. And she supposed Morpheus was waiting for her to prove his expectations. Even if she didn't, he was oversure he found what he was looking for. How annoying it is to be precisely sure with whom you'll fall in love! Cypher didn't attract her at first sight, but she couldn't be sure - she has never really spoken to him. Maybe it was time? Only if Morph's not there, reading morals to him. She got up quietly and left her room. She walked up to the entrance of the main room and made sure he was there alone. Trinity stood still for a few seconds, watching Cypher. Then she silently walked in.   
He heard Trinity approaching. Cypher remained silent and waited for her to come near him. "Mind if I keep you company"? - she asked in a very low voice, to make sure she doesn't wake him, if he was sleeping. Cypher looked at her, smiling: "Sure"! His friendly voice made Trin feel a lot more comfortable. With the lightness of a kitten she jumped on the elbow-rest of the armchair and gave Cypher a shy smile. Her eyes still kept the young innocence of a girl that didn't yet experience first love. Despite that her 17-year-old body had already formed.   
For a few seconds Trinity and Cypher sat in full silence. Cypher gave her a friendly look, then lowered his gaze and asked with a light chuckle: "I believe this is probably the most banal question to start a conversation with, but how did you end up here"? - the presence of such a young girl on board the ship made hi curious. "Well, that's a long story", - Trinity said shyly. "I believe we have an eternity ahead of us", - sighed Cypher. "To tell the truth I wasn't meant to leave the Matrix. There was a computer error and I was unplugged instead of someone else", - she answered quietly and he could easily see it was hard for her to tell it. "Instead of whom"? - asked Cypher, believing Morpheus wouldn't let go of the person he laid his eyes upon. "I don't know. The person died after coming to life in the Matrix. The machines probably took him for a dead man", - she said as her eyes became wet from tears. At once, Cypher felt unhappy about what he made her remember. "Hey, Trin, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to remind you about something you dislike talking about", - he said silently, trying to look at the girl's face, which she now covered with her hands. "It's OK now", - she said, rubbing her eyes. - "Come to think of it, you're the only person I have told about it. Everyone else except Tank and Morpheus think I'm here for some special reason". Cypher was moved by the girl's innocence. The only time in his life he felt something like this was probably two years ago, when he heard a short and shy "I love you" from Susi. "Well, anyway, I'm happy you're here. You seem to be the only person here that is actually alive. Except for maybe the hyper-alive Aries", - he smiled. "Oh yeah, Aries... The guy's is somewhat explosive", - she said, looking down and chuckling to herself. Cypher remembered something about the prophecy his friend told him about in the morning, but decided to leave the question until a better occasion. "... But you think so only because you didn't have time to meet our Little One - Mouse! When not asleep, that kid's everywhere! And you're now his hero", - Trinity continued. "Why"? - asked Cypher, a bit flattered. "Because of the jump, silly", - said Trinity. - "Nobody ever made it that far". "Oh, really? Come to think of it, I didn't think of jumping at all. When up there, the only thing I had on my mind was suicide", - said Cypher, trying not to look into Trin's eyes. "Why"? - she asked surprised. "Um... You know, I really don't remember now. I was probably too shocked by all the things that happened today. Everything's so different. I was afraid I wouldn't make it. So, I decided to end it the easy way. I wasn't realizing what I was doing. Come to think of it I didn't think of anything before nearly reaching the roof of the other building", - he answered. "That's exactly what Morpheus taught us to do when jumping from roof to roof! Never think about anything and jump as if for the last time in your life, freeing your mind of useless questions"! - she said excited, as if retelling a lesson learned by heart. "Is that so? Too bad I thought about something just when I was about to land", - said Cypher, a bit disappointed. "Oh, don't be upset! Everybody falls the first time", - Trinity said in an encouraging voice. "Falling isn't fun", - said Cypher, making sure his nose wasn't bleeding anymore. "Life is constant falling and rising… That's what Morph likes saying", - remembered Trinity. "Well… Maybe he's right", - answered Cypher, locking his teeth from the sudden pain in his ribs. "You're hurt"! - exclaimed Trin. Suddenly she realized she laid her hand upon Cypher's chest. She blushed and took the hand away. "Don't worry, I'll be all right", - he smiled, acting as if he didn't notice what she had just done. "Anyway, you need some sleep. You know, when newcomers don't get enough sleep"… - Trinity began murmuring, still a little nervous. "Thanks for your care. I'll do just as you say", - said Cypher, laying his hand on her shoulder. "Ok, see you tomorrow then", - smiled Trinity, getting up. "Sweet dreams", - said Cypher, watching her leave. Just as he though she wouldn't answer, a voice from the darkness said: "Thanks. Have a good rest"! Cypher led out a pleased sigh and went to his room.   
Trinity landed on her bed, that for the first time in her life seemed soft and cozy. She buried her face in the pillow, then threw a quick glance on her hand. The girl smiled and hugged the pillow, falling asleep with a heavenly smile. 


End file.
